Daily Current Affairs Quiz Prelims Practice 2027
- NTA was established under the NTA Act, 2017, as a statutory body under the Ministry of Education.
- NTA has conducted over 240 examinations since its inception, involving more than 5.4 crore candidates.
- The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act was first enacted in 2024.
Statements 2 and 3 are correct — NTA has conducted over 240 examinations involving more than 5.4 crore candidates, and the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act was first enacted in 2024, after the NEET-UG paper leak controversy. Statement 1 is incorrect — NTA was established in 2017 under the Societies Registration Act, 1860, as an autonomous body, not a statutory body created by Parliament.
Nandan Nilekani, co-founder of Infosys and founding Chairman of UIDAI (2009–14), chairs this 2026 task force. Dr. K. Radhakrishnan chaired the earlier 2024 committee (101 recommendations) following the NEET 2024 leak, while S. Somanath and V. Kamakoti are members, not chair, of the Nilekani task force.
- India has allowed 100% FDI in the inventory-based model of e-commerce for the export of goods manufactured or produced in India.
- The restriction on inventory-based B2C e-commerce for domestic sales has been fully removed for all categories of goods.
Statement 1 is correct — DPIIT allows 100% FDI in inventory-based e-commerce exclusively for exporting domestically manufactured goods. Statement 2 is incorrect — the restriction on inventory-based B2C e-commerce for domestic sales remains fully in place; the liberalisation applies only to exports, keeping domestic small retailers protected.
Reason (R): Soil organic carbon is stored through the action of vegetation roots and soil microorganisms, and can remain in the soil for extended periods, reducing atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations.
Both A and R are correct, and R explains A. SOC is built through decomposition of plant matter by soil microorganisms; this organic matter binds soil particles into aggregates (structure), acts as a moisture sponge, and releases nutrients as it decomposes — the same biochemical process also stores carbon, reducing atmospheric CO₂, directly explaining the Assertion rather than being a separate, unrelated fact.
- Black soils (Regur) are rich in lime and calcium, retain moisture well, and are predominantly found in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat.
- Laterite soils develop under conditions of low rainfall and low leaching, making them nutrient-rich and suitable for paddy cultivation.
- Saline and alkaline soils are found in arid and semi-arid regions, coastal and delta areas, and include the Sundarbans of West Bengal and the Kutch region of Gujarat.
Statements 1 and 3 are correct. Black (Regur) soils are clayey, lime and calcium-rich, moisture-retentive "cotton soils" found mainly in Maharashtra, MP, and Gujarat. Saline and alkaline soils occur in arid/semi-arid, coastal, and delta areas, including the Sundarbans and Kutch. Statement 2 is incorrect — laterite soils actually develop under high rainfall and intense leaching, which removes soluble nutrients, making them nutrient-poor and acidic, suited to tea, coffee, and cashew rather than paddy.
NIPU 2026 introduced a viable RoE band with a floor at 12% and a ceiling at 16%, giving investors sufficient return on long-gestation, capital-intensive urea plants (5–7 years to build) while capping windfall gains and protecting the fiscally trapped subsidy regime.
- CAFE norms set a sales-weighted average fuel-economy target for a manufacturer's entire passenger vehicle fleet, not individual models.
- India's CAFE norms are administered by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) under the Ministry of Power.
- China's Dual Credit System (2018) requires manufacturers to earn both Corporate Average Fuel Consumption (CAFC) credits and New Energy Vehicle (NEV) credits, and a surplus of CAFC credits can be used to offset a NEV credit deficit.
Statements 1 and 2 are correct — CAFE norms operate at the sales-weighted fleet level, not per model, and are administered in India by BEE under the Ministry of Power via the Energy Conservation Act. Statement 3 is incorrect — under China's Dual Credit System, CAFC and NEV credits are separate, non-fungible obligations; a CAFC surplus cannot offset an NEV deficit, which must be earned independently or purchased — this non-fungibility is what drives electrification.
Reason (R): Crypto-assets, unlike traditional bank accounts, can be transferred and held pseudonymously outside the conventional financial sector, making them undetectable under the existing Common Reporting Standard (CRS).
Both A and R are correct, and R explains A. CARF was created specifically because CRS, the existing global standard, does not capture crypto-assets held and transferred pseudonymously outside traditional banking. CARF plugs this gap through reporting obligations on Reporting Crypto-Asset Service Providers; India implements it under Section 509 of the Income-tax Act 2025, with exchange of information starting 2027.
- India's operational data centre capacity is projected to grow from 2.2 GW in 2025 to 12 GW by 2030, with AI-dedicated capacity rising to approximately 6,546 MW.
- Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu currently account for about 65% of India's installed IT load in data centres.
- India's domestic AI market is projected to reach ₹11.7 lakh crore by 2032, with the digital economy already valued at approximately 20% of GDP in 2025.
Statements 1 and 2 are correct — per Wood Mackenzie projections, capacity grows from 2.2 GW (2025) to 12 GW (2030) with AI-dedicated capacity near 6,546 MW, and Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu account for about 65% of installed IT load. Statement 3 is incorrect on the GDP share — India's digital economy was valued at roughly ₹32 lakh crore in 2025, about 12% of GDP, not 20%, though the ₹11.7 lakh crore AI market projection for 2032 is correct.
- TCFS was declared a Wildlife Sanctuary in 2015–16 and is India's only notified flamingo sanctuary.
- TCFS forms an important part of the East Asian–Australasian Flyway, one of the world's major migratory bird routes.
- The ₹45-crore Eco-Nature Park approved for TCFS will feature India's first AI-powered bird detection and monitoring centre.
Statements 1 and 3 are correct — TCFS was declared a Wildlife Sanctuary in 2015–16, India's only notified flamingo sanctuary, and the ₹45-crore Eco-Nature Park will feature India's first AI-powered bird detection and monitoring centre. Statement 2 is incorrect — TCFS actually forms part of the Central Asian Flyway, connecting Siberian and Central Asian breeding grounds to South/Southeast Asian wintering sites, not the East Asian–Australasian Flyway.
As of 13 March 2026, approximately 25.89 crore Soil Health Cards have been generated since the Scheme's 2015 launch, providing farmers crop-wise soil nutrient status and fertiliser recommendations, alongside 7.17 lakh balanced-fertiliser-use demonstrations and 70,002 trained Krishi Sakhis.
- For individuals found guilty of examination fraud, the Amendment Bill raises the maximum jail term to 10 years and the maximum fine to ₹50 lakh.
- For organised examination fraud involving syndicates, the Amendment Bill prescribes a minimum fine of ₹1 crore and a maximum jail term of 7 years.
Statement 1 is correct — the Amendment Bill raises individual penalties to a maximum 10 years' jail and ₹50 lakh fine. Statement 2 is incorrect on the fine — for organised/syndicate fraud, the minimum fine is raised from ₹1 crore to ₹10 crore under the 2026 amendment; ₹1 crore was the pre-amendment (2024 Act) figure. The 7-year minimum jail term is correct.
- NMNF was launched in 2024 and promotes farming practices that reduce input costs, improve soil organic carbon, and strengthen climate resilience.
- Bio-input Resource Centres (BRCs) established under NMNF supply ready-to-use inputs such as Beejamrit and Jeevamrit to farmers.
- As of March 2026, NMNF has enrolled over 18.19 lakh farmers across 18,786 clusters covering 8.80 lakh hectares.
All three statements are correct. NMNF was launched in 2024 to promote natural/zero-budget farming. BRCs supply Beejamrit (seed treatment) and Jeevamrit (soil microbial amendment), both core Subhash Palekar Natural Farming inputs. As of March 2026, official PIB data confirms 18.19 lakh farmers enrolled across 18,786 clusters covering 8.80 lakh hectares.
Reason (R): The Government of India has formally decided to mandate ethanol blending beyond the E20 level and has notified this policy in Parliament.
The Assertion is correct — CAFE III's Carbon Neutrality Factor does grant compliance benefits for E20+-compatible vehicles. The Reason is incorrect — the Government has not formally decided to move beyond E20 blending; its own parliamentary submission states no such decision exists. This is precisely the criticism: manufacturers get CAFE benefits for a technology whose long-term policy trajectory remains uncertain.
- The Government mandates 100% neem coating on all domestically produced urea to slow nitrogen release and improve nutrient-use efficiency.
- Fertiliser subsidies are disbursed under Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) through Aadhaar-linked Point of Sale (PoS) devices at retailer shops.
- India's urea production in 2023–24 was approximately 314 Lakh Metric Tonnes (LMT), up from about 225 LMT in 2014–15.
All three statements are correct. 100% neem-coated urea is mandatory domestically, slowing nitrification and curbing diversion to non-agricultural use. Fertiliser subsidies are disbursed via DBT through Aadhaar-linked PoS devices at retailer shops. Urea production grew from 225 LMT (2014–15) to 314.07 LMT (2023–24), driven by the 2014 policy amendment and new JVC/private-sector plants.
